This Lok Sabha is going to be interesting because there are a huge number of opposition party candidates in the house. So far, the BJP has strength because the opposition count is meager. The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha began on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking oath as a member of the newly constituted lower house. On the first day, as many as 262 members took their oaths. As the leader of the House, Modi was the first to take the oath in Hindi, amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram” from the Treasury benches.
Whereas opposition members greeted Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with slogans of “NEET,” referring to the recent paper leak and irregularities with the NEET exam. The first day of the Parliament session began on a stormy note amid a war of words between PM Modi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over the imposition of an emergency in 1975. The opposition staged a protest march inside the Parliament complex, with MPs of the INDIA bloc raising slogans on “saving democracy” and displaying copies of the Constitution.
The proceedings were chaired by pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, who invited the panel of chairpersons to take the oath. Opposition leaders K. Suresh (Congress), T.R. Baalu (DMK) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (Trinamool Congress), did not turn up when their names were called out. They joined the house later. Mahtab was administered his oath as a member of the new Lok Sabha and pro-tem Speaker at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu.
The Congress and the INDIA bloc had objected to Mahtab’s appointment, contending that the claim of eight-term member Suresh, a Dalit leader, has been overlooked. Suresh took his oath later, when members from Kerala took their oaths. The opening session of the 18th Lok Sabha saw a total of 262 newly-elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, take oath as members of the newly constituted lower House. The remaining 281 MPs took oaths on Tuesday.
With the deadline for the nomination to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker approaching, senior Cabinet Minister Rajnath Singh has been reaching out to opposition leaders on behalf of the government in a bid to build consensus for the post of Speaker and deputy Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament. The opposition INDIA bloc is unlikely to contest the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post and the NDA nominee is likely to be elected unopposed, sources said on June 25 ahead of the filing of nominations for the key post. However, the opposition has demanded that they be given the choice to pick the deputy speaker.
With the deadline for the nomination to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker approaching, senior Cabinet Minister Rajnath Singh has been reaching out to opposition leaders on behalf of the government in a bid to build consensus for the post of Speaker and deputy Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament.
On the second day, the BJP launched a sharp attack on the Congress on the 49th anniversary of the emergency, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying it was the biggest example of the opposition party’s long history of killing democracy and harming it repeatedly.
The BJP is tight-lipped about its choice for the key post, but there is a buzz that Om Birla, who served as Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, may be repeated. Birla also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning. Another post under the spotlight is that of the Deputy Speaker. This position is traditionally given to the opposition. However, the BJP appointed its ally AIADMK’s M. Thambi Durai as Deputy Speaker in 2014. Since 2019, the post has been vacant.
In both the 16th and the 17th Lok Sabha, there was no Leader of the Opposition, as the Congress did not have enough numbers. But this time, the opposition has posted a good show in the general election, with the Congress winning 99 seats. So, the party, backed by its allies in the INDIA Opposition bloc, will be pushing for the Deputy Speaker’s post. Kharge has already made it clear to Singh that the Deputy Speaker should be from the opposition benches.
In 2019, Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, becoming the first MP from Rajasthan to hold the position. His selection was seen as a surprise by many, but he has been praised for his ability to take everyone along. Om Birla has been associated with the BJP since his early days as a student leader. He currently serves as an MP from the Kota-Bundi constituency in Rajasthan and was reelected for a second consecutive term in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. Previously, he served three terms as a legislator in the Rajasthan Assembly.
